


Always in Style

by IAmANonnieMouse



Series: Cards 'Verse [3]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Ari and Nash are Diamond Pals, Cards 'Verse, Ficlet, Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:47:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28980600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmANonnieMouse/pseuds/IAmANonnieMouse
Summary: “Let’s be friends,” Ariadne says, smiling slightly.“Why?”Ariadne shrugs. “You’re good company. And you’re not a dick.”Nash snorts. “That’s a fucking lie.”Her smile changes to a smirk. “You’re a different dick than the usual dicks I’m surrounded by.”
Relationships: Ariadne & Nash (Inception)
Series: Cards 'Verse [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095608
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6
Collections: Cards 'Verse





	Always in Style

**Author's Note:**

  * For [flosculatory](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flosculatory/gifts).



> Adding more to Cards 'Verse because WHY NOT. I do have a Rob/Nash one in the works, it's just...at the very early stages of works XD It'll get here eventually! In the interim, come enjoy Ari and Nash, who are Diamond Pals, as decreed by Flos <3
> 
> Title inspired by this (google-found) quote  
> “True friends are like diamonds – bright, beautiful, valuable, and always in style.”  
> ― Nicole Richie

Nash isn’t supposed to meet her. He isn’t even supposed to be there. But it’s a _ball,_ and he’s been dying to know what balls are like ever since he learned about them. He’s only a Two, so he’ll never be able to walk in the front door like a High Rank. But nobody said he couldn’t sneak in.

So he buys some nice, shiny clothes from one of those hole-in-the-wall thrift shops that nobody talks about and slips in the back door. The jacket is a little too tight across his shoulders, and the shoes are a size too big, but he’s _here,_ and it’s—

Well, honestly? It’s really fucking blinding.

That’s Nash’s excuse, at least, for why he immediately crashes into a fucking _Nine_ a measly five minutes after he walks in the door.

“I am so fucking sorry,” he says, frantically trying to climb off her, but his foot gets caught in the fabric of _something,_ and he goes flying again. 

“Oh Aces help us,” the Nine says. “It’s fine, just wait a second.” Her nimble fingers free his feet from whatever they’re trapped in, and then she stands with a smile, offering a hand to Nash.

“Sorry,” Nash says again.

The Nine smiles. “It’s fine. Seriously.” She takes the frayed ends of her scarf, ripped from Nash’s clumsy fucking foot, and knots them in some fancy, magical way, until it looks purposeful and edgy.

“Damn,” Nash says. “Nice.”

“I’m Ariadne,” the Nine says.

“Nash.”

She looks him up and down and says, a little quieter, “Snuck in?”

“No,” Nash says too quickly.

“Everyone does it. Seriously.” She casually hooks her arm in his. “Come on. I’ll show you around. Make sure you don’t crash into anyone else.”

Nash can’t even argue with that.

He spends the rest of the night following Ariadne’s lead, learning Court gossip, and drinking lots of alcohol.

It’s as much fun as Nash expected. But honestly? The best part of his night is meeting Ariadne.

*

A letter arrives at his place a couple days later, with gold foil and one of those fancy wax seals.

 _Nash,_ it reads, _I really enjoyed meeting you. Let’s do it again. Lunch tomorrow? Noon? My treat ;) Let’s meet at the center square._

Nash tilts the letter back and forth under the light. Is that...actual gold ink?

“Fucking Diamonds with their fucking High Ranks,” he mutters. 

He sends back an affirmative on blank white paper in plain, black ink. He draws a circle on the envelope like a seal, because he’s a comedian like that, then regrets it immediately.

“Fuck it.” He manages to flag down a courier without too much effort, then starts trying to decide what to wear.

*

Lunch turns out to be at a small cafe in the square. It’s casual, by Diamond standards — the tablecloths are simple white linen, and there are only three courses. Nash loves these kinds of places. That means there are only three forks at his plate.

“Let’s be friends,” Ariadne says, smiling slightly. 

“Why?”

Ariadne shrugs. “You’re good company. And you’re not a dick.”

Nash snorts. “That’s a fucking lie.”

Her smile changes to a smirk. “You’re a different dick than the usual dicks I’m surrounded by.”

“Acceptable.” Nash leans back in his chair to let the servers cart away their second course. “So what’s in it for me?”

“Uh, my amazing company,” Ariadne says. “Obviously.”

Nash chuckles and says, “Okay, you know what? Fucking sold.”

*

“Aces help me,” Ariadne says, “but I am so in love it fucking _hurts,_ Nash!”

Nash snickers and sits on the floor at the foot of her bed. She’s sprawled on top of it like a starfish right now, complete with an arm over her eyes. “You look like a fainting maiden,” he says.

“She’s beautiful and hot and sexy and _argh_.”

“Argh,” Nash says, nodding. “Sounds legit. Where’d you meet her?”

Ariadne sighs happily. “At the latest diplomatic ball. The Heart Court came to visit.”

“She’s a Heart?”

“Mhm.” Ariadne moves enough to look at Nash over the edge of her mattress. “She’s the Queen.”

Nash blinks. “She’s the fucking _Queen_ of Hearts? Ariadne. There is no fucking way.”

“Never say never!” Ariadne pokes his forehead. “She danced with me _all night._ ”

“I’m sure.”

“She did!”

Nash gets up and belly flops onto the mattress next to her. “Ari. Come on. Queens and Kings only marry Tens.”

Ariadne glares. “Someday you’re gonna fall for someone, Nash, and I’m gonna stomp all over your hopes and dreams, too.”

“Gonna, fucking,” Nash teases. “Your diction’s starting to sound like a low rank’s, sweetheart. Better watch it.”

Ariadne pokes him in the forehead again. “Shut. Up.”

Nash laughs and props his chin on his hand. “Okay, then. How are we gonna woo this Queen?” He grins as Ariadne’s eyes widen. “Hey, this is totally selfish. If I marry you off, then I can totally use your new connections for...something.”

“Something,” Ariadne says with a grin. “Yeah, you stick with that Nash.” She sits up and crosses her legs, pulling out some fancy stationery from somewhere. “Okay, things we know about the Queen of Hearts.”

In the end, it takes Nash starting a multi-Court scandal before Ariadne can run away with her darling Queen and elope in peace. But hey, that’s what best friends are for, right? And besides, Nash gets a cute guy out of it, too. So it all works out in the end.


End file.
